The Wrong Grate

Summary: Harry Potter exits out of the wrong grate his first time flooing, but instead of landing in Knockturn Alley, he lands in the house of a certain wizard.

The Wrong Grate

Trying
hard to bear all this in mind, Harry took a pinch of Floo powder and
walked to the edge of the fire. He took a deep breath, scattered the
powder into the flames, and stepped forward; the fire felt like a
warm breeze; he opened his mouth and immediately swallowed a lot of
hot ash.

"D-Dia-gon
Alley," he coughed.

It
felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to
be spinning very fast - the roaring in his ears was deafening - he
tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him
feel sick -something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in
tightly, still spinning and spinning - now it felt as though cold
hands were slapping his face - squinting through his glasses he saw a
blurred stream of fireplaces and snatched glimpses of the rooms
beyond - his bacon sandwiches were churning inside him - he closed
his eyes again wishing it would stop, and then…

Harry
fell, landing on the ground roughly. His glasses hit the ground and
snapped. Harry, now with blurry vision, sat up, holding his broken
glasses in his hands. He had no idea where he was, but he could see
enough of his surroundings that he could tell he was not in Diagon
Alley.

Footsteps
echoed and Harry could see a blurry figure enter the room.

“Are
you okay?” a male voice asked.

“I'm
sorry,” Harry apologised, scrambling to his feet. “I didn't mean
to Floo here. I was trying to get to Diagon Alley.”

The
man said a spell that Harry faintly recognised as the same one
Hermione had used the previous year to fix his glasses. Now that they
were fixed, Harry slipped his glasses on and looked at the man with
caution.

“Um,
where am I?” Harry asked, looking around.

“This
would be my home,” the man explained, smiling slightly.

“Oh,”
Harry replied. He felt awkward at the way the man was staring at him,
seemingly trying to absorb everything about him.

Harry
cast his eyes toward the floor, regretful of his celebrity status. At
least the man had not asked to see his scar yet.

“Seeing
as I know you, but you don't know me, I should probably introduce
myself,” the man said. “I'm Remus Lupin.”

Harry
looked up again, but the man was at the stove now, warming a kettle
of water for tea. Harry studied him now that Lupin was not staring at
him.

Remus
Lupin was wearing ragged robes and looked exhausted, as if he hadn't
slept in days. He was pale, thin, and almost sickly looking. His
appearance startled Harry.

Remus
turned and caught Harry's gaze. Their eyes met for one long second,
but then Harry flushed, embarrassed at being caught staring, and
looked away.

The
man chuckled softly at this, but did not comment. Instead, he asked,
“Whom were you travelling to Diagon Alley with?”

“The
Weasleys,” Harry replied.

“Molly
and Arthur?” Remus questioned.

“Yeah,”

“Ah,
they're a good family,”

“You
know them?” Harry asked, curious about just whom this man was.

“Oh
yes. I knew them well. I used to baby-sit for Molly when I was much
younger. Me and a few friends of mine,” Remus replied, avoiding
Harry's eyes.

Remus
set a cup of tea in front of an empty chair and invited Harry to sit
down.

Harry
sat, feeling comfortable with this man now, though he had only known
him a few minutes.

“I,
uh,” Remus started, sounding awkward.

Harry
looked up at him. “What?”

Remus
opened his mouth, then closed it before shaking his head. “Nothing.
We should get you back. They'll be worrying about you,”

“Oh.
Right,” Harry agreed. He stood up. His tea was still untouched and
Harry stared at it for a moment, wondering why he had even been given
it. It seemed the man had been hoping he would stay longer than this.

“I
don't have any Floo powder, I'm afraid. I'll have to Apparate you to
Diagon Alley,”

“Apparate?”
Harry repeated the strange word.

Remus
nodded. “It's another form of transportation. You'll learn it in
sixth year,”

“Okay,”
Harry agreed.

Remus
led the way out of his kitchen and outside. He lived in a forested
place, Harry noted. There were no roads leading to the house at all.
It was as if Remus was purposely secluding himself from the world.

“You'll
have to hold onto my arm. It might be a bit disorienting,” Remus
warned, holding out his arm for Harry to take.

Harry
grabbed Remus' arm, and then, Remus turned on the spot and Apparated.

Harry
felt as if he were being squeezed through a too small tube, but it
only lasted a few moments, and then he was standing in the middle of
The Leaky Cauldron with Remus. People paused to stare at them but
then went back to their own business. Remus directed Harry through
the pub into the back. With a tap of his wand, he opened the wall and
they walked through together.

Harry
scanned the alley, which was full of shoppers. When he spotted a mob
of red hair, he pointed them out to Remus. “There's the Weasleys,”

Harry
looked at him curiously but Remus only smile sadly at him. “Goodbye,
Harry,” he said.

Harry
nodded farewell and started down the street, easily catching up to
the Weasleys.

Remus
stared after the son of his best friend, conflicted. As a werewolf he
had been rejected custody of the boy, though he had fought for it. In
the end, he had even been banned from ever seeing the boy. Remus had
struggled to not reveal his connection to Harry. That would not be
allowed, no matter how much Remus wanted it.

It
was wistfully that Remus stared at Harry, who stood chatting to the
youngest Weasley boy and a frizzy hair girl, probably about his
recent adventure. Once they all turned and disappeared off down the
streets, Remus sighed and turned back to the Leaky Cauldron,
wondering if he would ever see Harry again, even if just a glimpse.

Write a Review
Did you enjoy my story? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks,
AG Stewart

William Elliott Kern:
Whew. one telling his story, in the Bar, to his friend, who questions some circumstances that need clarity, The Confusion comes from a man, carrying his dead friend Chappies, while conversing with himself, and Chappies, and his alter ego......a broken mind, not yet forgotten..........The Author ...

vane 3071:
This book taught me so much and I even began to think, no wait know, it's important that people of all ages learn more about it. I may only be 14 but all we've always been told is that there the "special kids" that they have "issues", basically that they weren't normal. If we were to associate wi...

fellipxx:
I loved this novel, it was very sweet and big on the emotions I really enjoyed it and could not stop reading not even for a second, I even cried a little bit at a few touching moments too. And overall I found this book sweet, realistic and cheesy (I like the cheesy stuff).

littlebite22:
This made me think. About the world around me, about what I think of others. We rarely get to see or hear what others think, and this is such a great example of not judging a book by its cover. Also very well written.

Ariel:
First book from the Author I've read, and am extremely impressed and very much satisfied that this story was a short-story, yet, filled with great writing, fantastic characters, and all I'd like is more, please. Malice, she is my favorite!!

Jessica McAlpine:
I fell in love easily with this story. In the beginning it reminded me of Studio Ghibli films where fantasy is mixed with some science, almost like steampunk but not.I continued to enjoy the world culture of The Shattered Girl. I especially love the idea of dwarves being seafaring folk instead of...

sujitha nair:
What's so distinct about this story was that it could easily be real.Praveena can be your classmate, neighbor or that girl you saw at the coffee shop today. The important decisions she makes and the dilemmas she faces, remind us of our own twisted lives.

Avell Kro:
I've only just started reading this, but I can see that this writer really knows her stuff. Her theme is painful and traumatic, and her sense of place is deep and strong. Being originally from Yorkshire myself the story resonates with me personally, but this is good writing. I look forward to com...

Colin Milroy:
To begin, I don't think that the first review of this story was fair at all. Based on the popularity of this story, I would say the one-star review hasn't done much harm, but I still felt the need to address it. Now I will do my best to be constructive.I liked the concept of this story. I found i...

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